1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hunting accessories and, more particularly, to a collapsible decoy bag for carrying and protecting decoys of the type used in hunting water fowl.
2. Description of the Background
Typically, an individual hunting water fowl (e.g. ducks, geese) deploys a number of decoys in the vicinity of his/her camouflaged position/location. This is done to draw the target water fowl closer to the hunter""s position in order to provide the best opportunity for a clean shot. Unfortunately, the best hunting locations are generally some distance from the closest roadway or vehicle parking area, and the aforementioned decoys are only one of many supplies/accessories (e.g. firearm(s), ammunition, food) that must be transported from the vehicle to the hunting location.
Others have addressed the problem of carrying or transporting hunting supplies/accessories. Examples of devices for this purpose are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,336,576 to Easter, 6,276,698 to Calandra, and 5,769,431 to Cordova. However, none of the aforementioned patents is drawn specifically to bags designed to transport water fowl decoys. This particular application brings with it a particular set of needs. For one, decoys are heavy items and a decoy bag must be very durable in order to withstand their weight. Moreover, none of the foregoing or other known decoy bags are designed to maintain a standing position while decoys are thrown into it. It is much more convenient if the bag stands upright as this speeds pick up. However, these existing bags typically lack enough ballast to stand up against the weight of a laterally-thrown decoy. In addition, a good decoy bag must be capable of drainage because decoys are often soaking wet. Also, the bag must be capable of withstanding transport over rough and wet terrain. For example, existing decoy bags are typically dragged over ground or through tidal pools, or carried over the shoulder. Preferably, the bag should facilitate all of these various modes of transport. It is the present inventor""s goal to integrate all of the foregoing qualities in a fully collapsible decoy bag that stows (maintaining its collapsed configuration) in a relatively small space.
With a view toward traditional decoy bags, there are a number of buoyant decoy bags that are designed to float during the deployment or collection of the decoys. Unfortunately, the floating decoy bags are typically flexible fabric bags incorporating some sort of buoyant structure, but lacking any internal framework to maintain the bag in an upright position with its mouth open during an unloading or loading process. To unload/load a bag of this nature requires the hunter to hold onto the bag somewhere near the opening with one hand while removing/inserting the decoys with the other. Also, these bags tend to collapse of their own weight and this makes loading and unloading difficult (i.e. a decoy hidden within the folds of the bag may be overlooked and not deployed, or the hunter may have some difficulty getting all of the decoys back into the bag).
Therefore, there remains a need for an improved decoy bag that provides an increased degree of utility in the carrying and the unloading or loading, in the field, of hunting supplies/accessories, and yet is fully collapsible for storage. An apparatus of this type should be self-supporting to avoid the need to manually hold it upright and fully expanded during unloading/loading, self-expanding prior to loading, fully collapsible after unloading to allow for ease of storage, lightweight for optimum portability, and economical to manufacture to provide for widespread use.
It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved decoy carrying bag for use in transporting various hunting supplies/accessories.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved decoy carrying bag that is self-expanding to facilitate its loading.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved decoy carrying bag that is self-supporting in its fully expanded state, even as against the weight of decoys that are thrown into it.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved decoy carrying bag that is readily collapsible after unloading to facilitate ease of storage.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved decoy carrying bag that is lightweight to optimize its portability.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved decoy carrying bag that is durable to maximize its longevity.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved decoy carrying bag that is economical to manufacture.
These and other objects are accomplished by a collapsible decoy bag utilized to carry hunting supplies/accessories such as water fowl decoys. The present invention generally comprises a collapsible, semi-rigid, spring-reinforced frame designed to support one or more flexible panels that retain any objects placed therein. The top panel has a drawstring opening to facilitate the loading and unloading of the apparatus. The flexible side, top, and bottom panels are fabricated of mesh-like materials allowing the items within the apparatus to be seen. One or more straps are provided to allow a hunter to carry the bag across one or both shoulders like a backpack. When in its expanded configuration the present invention remains upright and open, even as against the weight of thrown decoys, thereby facilitating the decoy unloading/loading process. In its collapsed configuration the present invention remains compact and flat for easy storage.
The dimensions of the collapsible decoy bag may be varied to suit a wide range of applications and configurations (e.g. round, square, or rectangular cross-sections). The decoy bag is fully collapsible for ease of storage when not in use. The top panel with its drawstring closure encloses the compressed, spring-reinforced frame to maintain the decoy bag in the collapsed state. The fabric may be any of a variety of strong, lightweight materials to provide the durability and portability required by the nature of its usage. The present invention""s design is simple and straightforward, and can be economically manufactured.